Completely Unexpected
by katy-g
Summary: Curiosity may have killed the cat, but for Charlie Weasley it threw him into an entirely new and complicated situation. He never saw this coming.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This chapter has been reposted to sort out a kink kindly pointed out by JuliaKidlet. Any other help would be greatly appreciated.

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter, sadly. Anything you recognise in here does not belong to me._

The first time he heard the sniff, he cursed his curiosity. He knew, out of the rest of the family, he resembled the twins most closely. He shared not only their stocky build and love of jokes, but also the curiosity that got him into trouble more often than he would care to admit. Knowing he would likely not want to deal with what he found; he could not help but tread lightly on. He pushed his way through the overgrown bushes at the end of the garden to where they opened out to the lakeside. Nearly hidden from site, burrowed at the base of a weeping willow, was a crying Hermione Granger.

Pausing before he broke cover, Charlie stopped to think. He sensed this was dangerous territory and was not sure how to proceed. He was easily able to admit that he did not know her very well. She had been around when he had visited home, but their difference in age had precluded any sort of closeness between them. He considered going back the way he had come and tracking down Ron or possibly Ginny, but a sudden cessation of movement from the girl he watched told him he had left it too late. Knowing he had no choice, Charlie pulled himself together and moved into the fading sunlight.

"Hermione?" he called, keeping his low voice as soft as he could make it.

Clearly startled, Hermione's head snapped round to look at him, wide-eyed. "C-Charlie?"

Charlie's heart turned over in his chest as those tear-filled, miserable eyes met his. He was filled with an unexplainable need to gather the distraught girl to his chest and protect her from the world; a need he only just managed to fight down as he slowly crossed the distance between them, giving her the time to flee if she desired.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione managed, her voice thick with more un-shed tears.

Charlie managed a slight smile as he reached her and sat down on the bank of the lake beside her. "Investigating," he admitted easily. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hermione shrugged, a frown marring her brow. "I'm not sure."

That was enough for Charlie to know he had done the right thing in following his instincts. From what the others had told him and from the little he had seen himself, Hermione always knew the answers. "I might be able to help," he suggested, eyebrows raising slightly as he studied her expression, judging whether or not he would take his comment as disbelief in her own abilities to cope.

Fortunately, she seemed to believe it wouldn't make it any worse. Sighing, she dragged a hand through her unruly hair and turned a little so she faced him. "I don't want to bore you," she said, a slight grimace crossing her face almost comically.

Charlie grinned. "My best conversationalists are usually dragons," he reminded her. "Trust me, I'm sure whatever you have to say will be more interesting."

Hermione managed a slight smile which fell again almost instantly. "It's your stupid brother," she muttered, a cross note creeping into her voice.

"I take it you mean Ron?"

Hermione nodded, screwing her nose up in a way that made Charlie want to laugh. "Has he always been so _stupid_?" she demanded, looking up at him suddenly.

Charlie realised that she was expecting an answer and had to think for a moment, wondering if he could say it tactfully. "Well, um, yes," he admitted, shrugging one shoulder. "He's not putting on an act. He has many good qualities, but he fails when it comes to being clever, especially on the emotional intelligence front. Sort of like Percy, but without the ability to learn school subjects either."

Hermione snorted. "I know," she agreed, then sighed. "Oh, Charlie, why did I ever let him kiss me?"

Charlie's eyebrows raised at that, suddenly finding himself on rocky ground. "Uh-oh," he said. "Relationship advice. You need Bill for this, not me. I'm not good at this sort of thing."

Hermione looked downcast and Charlie watched her for a moment before he relented. "I can give an opinion, if you want, but don't expect a perfect solution from me."

"I know you've got common sense," Hermione told him. "An opinion would be great, but I can understand if you don't want to talk about it. He is your brother, after all."

Charlie saw the sudden reddening of her cheeks and the way she suddenly avoided his gaze and realised that this conversation was not as easy for her as it had at first seemed. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" He thought for a moment that she wasn't going to answer him but then she began to speak.

"It was during the battle at Hogwarts. I thought we were going to die; I had been thinking that ever since we first agreed to go with Harry. The mission he had been given had killed professor Dumbledore; how would it be possible for the three of us to finish what he could not? I suppose I didn't want to die alone. And so, I kissed him. It was a stupid thing to do, as it turned out. We survived and now it looks like I'm stuck. I…" she broke off, blushing. "I don't like him to touch me." The last was spoken as no more than a low murmur and made Charlie ache for her. He could hear the self-accusation in her tone and found himself wondering how it was possible for such a bright witch to be so blind to something. "You can't help how you feel, Hermione," he told her, capturing her hazel eyes with his, making sure she would understand him. "Have you thought, perhaps, that you might be better off just as friends?"

"But what's wrong with me?" Hermione burst out, seemingly exasperated. "Why is it all so…difficult?"

Seeing how wound up she was getting, Charlie's hand reached out before he could stop it, closing over her small ones which were twisting together in agitation. The touch surprised her into silence and Charlie felt a disquieting tug inside him as those wide, trusting eyes met his again. "First of all, there is _nothing_ wrong with you," he told her, trying to make her understand how serious he was. "Look, sometimes these things are just not meant to be. I have some experience in this," he added, his tone a little wry. He saw her mind spinning into action, trying to puzzle out his words.

"You've felt this before?"

"Not exactly," Charlie admitted, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, suddenly the one who was a little embarrassed. He knew the tips of his ears were turning red but still met her gaze squarely. "When I was at school, I was friends with a girl who I fell for, hopelessly. I finally asked her out in my Fifth year, and it was just awful. We tried to make things work out, but it just wasn't…right. She never let me kiss her, and suddenly couldn't be around me by herself. We ended up spending no time together, and things were always strained and difficult. It took her a while, but she ended up breaking up with me. She just wanted to be friends. I couldn't understand it; I'd been in love with her for ages, I still loved her. But I have to concede, now, that she did the right thing."

"It must have been hard for you," Hermione said, sympathy shining in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Charlie managed a slight smile at that. "That's the understatement of the century," he admitted easily. "I was an emotional wreck for quite some time, but I got over it. I'm not saying your situation is identical, but you have to admit it's similar. I know it can't help that the general consensus has always been that you two would end up together."

Hermione covered her face with her hands. "What would your mum say?" she burst out suddenly. "I couldn't stand it if I made her unhappy."

At that, Charlie frowned. Reaching out, he tugged her hands away and held them both in one of his again, not letting her hide away from him. "Don't you dare stay where you are because you feel guilty," he told her sternly. "Hermione, you have given up so much of your life already to help others. Don't throw away everything else just because you don't want to upset people. Mum would be far less upset if you're honest about the way you feel."

"I love Ron," Hermione said, frowning. "But…I don't think I love him, you know, like a girlfriend should. We've got no interests in common; he's always treated me like I'm either his mother or his personal homework assistant. I don't know what it is that made me think it might be a good idea in the first place."

"You answered that yourself, you know," Charlie pointed out softly. "You didn't want to die alone. Don't regret the decisions you make. But, you can change what isn't working for you."

"But I've got nowhere to go!" Hermione burst out, suddenly close to tears. "My parents don't live here anymore: they don't even know that I exist. I've got no home, nothing."

"You think we wouldn't be here for you?" Charlie demanded. "You've been part of us for too many years for you to lose us that easily. Do you think Ginny would stand for it if Ron wanted you to leave? Or Mum, for that matter, not to mention the rest of us. It won't be easy for either of you at first, but you can learn to live alongside each other." He watched her as he spoke, making sure his words were sinking in. He couldn't stand the thought of her being trapped in a loveless relationship just in order to maintain the roof over her head. As far as he was concerned, life was just too short. He could see that her brain had kicked in and seemed to be whirring at a hundred miles an hour. He knew she was fiercely intelligent and wondered how it was that she couldn't see what she needed to do.

It was several moments before she looked up again and when she did, Charlie was relieved to see the darkness had faded from her sparkling eyes. "I know what I have to do," she murmured reluctantly. "Thank you Charlie, for listening. Sorry if I've ruined your evening."

Charlie snorted, shaking his head. "Don't be silly," he told her gently. "I'm always here if you need me." He wondered at the promise he had just made; why had it come to him so easily? That was a road he didn't need to go down, not right now. "Are you ready to face the world?"

Hermione took a deep breath, clearly gathering herself together. "I suppose so," she said; worry tightening the corners of her eyes as she attempted a smile.

Charlie squeezed her had gently. "Find me if you want to talk later," he said. "Or if you just need company."

"I will," Hermione replied, the smile reaching her eyes for the first time since their conversation started.

Charlie found himself returning it as he took her hand to pull her to her feet. He was surprised but pleased when her arms twisted around his waist. He hugged her back, realising for the first time just how small she was. She was nearly as tall as he, but so thin that he was scared she might break in his arms. The wave of protectiveness that flooded through him was both confusing and a little worrying, but he pushed those thoughts aside as he pulled back to give her a slight smile. "Ready?"

Hermione nodded, letting go and beginning to move away. "I'll let you know how it goes. See you later, Charlie, and thanks."

"Anytime," Charlie replied, waiting until she was out of sight before sinking to the ground again, rubbing his head with one scarred hand. He had not missed the disappointment he had felt as she stepped from his embrace, or the warmth in his stomach as she had smiled her first true smile at him. This was a new and, quite frankly, troubling development. He had to talk to Bill.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own none of this except for the plot. Again, any feedback would be greatly appreciated._

It took him several minutes and some creative thinking to track down his older brother, eventually finding him together with their father in his shed. Bill was holding up some sort of muggle machinery with an expression of long-suffering patience as his father unscrewed something from the underside. There was a good measure of relief in his eyes as they met Charlie's.

"Sorry, Dad, but could I steal Bill away for a little while?" Charlie asked, unable to quite banish the grin from his lips as he spoke.

Arthur Weasley glanced up and smiled as he saw who had entered the shed. "Ah, Charlie, excellent. I need you boys to move something for me. Molly won't let me use magic in here after the last, well, explosion I suppose you'd call it." Without waiting for a response, he led them to the back of the shed to where a large rectangular box with a convex glass front stood. Arthur gathered up the wires from the back and gestured at the box. "I need this television moved to the bench over there. It's too big and heavy for me to move alone."

Rolling his eyes, Bill moved round to one side and Charlie took the other. "Ready?" he asked. They lifted the box together, both hastily moving their hands so that the front-heavy box was stable before they moved it to where they had been asked. "I've got to go for a bit, Dad," Bill said, loudly enough to break through Arthur's happy surrounded-by-muggle-artefacts glow.

"Huh? Oh, well, thanks boys."

Shaking his head and raising his eyes to the ceiling, Bill led his younger brother out of the room. As the evening light fell on him, Bill tugged the leather strap from his long hair so it tumbled down to his shoulders, obscuring the long scars that marred one side of his face. "What's up?" he asked lightly, his sharp eyes looking his brother over.

Charlie rubbed a hand through his hair, wondering if talking was such a good idea. He looked down as he thought, feeling a frown crease his brow. At a sigh from his older brother he glanced up to see a good deal of amusement flashing in his all-too knowing gaze.

"This is a Quidditch field and Firewhiskey kind of talk, isn't it?" It wasn't really a question and Bill was already walking away.

Not many minutes later, they sat on the step of the shed at the corner of the field, each with a glass of Firewhiskey in hand.

"I think I'm going back to Romania," was Charlie's opening line as he finally managed to meet Bill's smiling eyes.

"Oh no," Bill said instantly. "You're not running away. What's happened? Who is she?"

Charlie had to laugh; his brother knew him far too well. "She's someone I wouldn't have even thought about until an hour ago, she's completely unaware and it's entirely inappropriate, not to mention it would probably be distasteful to her anyway." He glanced up again and knew he wouldn't get away with anything other than complete honesty. Sighing, he took another drink and composed himself. "Don't judge me, I'm warning you," he said, frowning as Bill chuckled.

"We haven't had a scrap since I've been werewolfed," Bill pointed out mildly. "You can't be so sure of yourself these days. But I take your point; no judging shall happen."

"I do feel the need to point out that I haven't done anything," Charlie said, wondering why he felt the need to justify himself so badly.

Bill said nothing, merely motioning for him to continue.

"I was down by the lake earlier," Charlie said, finally beginning his story. "Someone was crying and I went to investigate. It was Hermione. She's miserable with Ron; doesn't love him; doesn't even like him as anything other than a friend. But she was going to make the best of it just so she didn't get thrown out of the house and out of the family. She wanted someone to talk to and I just happened to be there. It's provoked this odd…protectiveness within me. I shouldn't be bothered about any of this; I shouldn't mind that Ron doesn't understand her or treat her with care and respect, but I want to tear his head off for causing her pain. Why the bloody hell is this even making me feel like this?" He looked up, helplessly, relieved to see no laughter or anger in his older brother's expression.

"First things first," Bill said, after a moment. "You need to calm yourself down. As you said, nothing's happened. You don't need to panic. And these feelings may have come from nowhere but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with either you or them. Until recently, I might have had some trouble understanding." He broke off and touched the scars on his face in a gesture that Charlie was sure was unconscious. "But I've some insight now into primal instincts; I get it. The feelings she provokes aren't the same as the ones you used to get when Ginny was upset by some boy. Some connection has been made between you; something in you has marked her as yours. It's that primal instinct in you that wants to destroy what has made her unhappy."

"But I barely know her," Charlie protested, wondering if that had sounded as weak to Bill as it had to himself.

"It's a chemical thing," Bill said. "With instinct, how well you know a person is not important. I was like that when I first met Fleur. We barely knew each other, and she decided to get a job in England, just so we could be together. I know that wasn't the reason given at the time, but we both knew there was something between us. The question you need to be asking yourself is what are you going to do about it?"

Charlie looked at him in some frustration. "You think there's anything I _can_ do about it?" he asked. "For a start, I don't think she'd look at me twice. And that's before we deal with the whole Ron situation. The last thing she needs is another Weasley forcing himself on her."

"That's not what I had in mind and you know it," Bill said mildly. "The way I see it, you have three choices. You run away to Romania and hide. You stay here and watch her find someone else, or you spend some time with her and let her get to know you. What's it going to be?"

"Why do you make it sound so simple?" Charlie grumbled, taking a breath and attempting to compose himself.

"Because from the outside looking in, it is simple," Bill pointed out, a grin tugging at his lips as he watched his younger brother scowl. He finished his Firewhiskey and stood up. "Time to get back, you know."

Charlie nodded, oddly feeling calmer now he had spoken his mind to someone. He still had exactly the same problems to face, but at least Bill hadn't been shocked or disgusted with him. He had understood and been able to offer advice, just as always. "Do you think I need consider the age thing?" he asked suddenly. It had been bothering him, if he was honest with himself. True, they were both of age, but being in his mid-twenties, he felt very conscious of the fact that Hermione was still a teenager.

Bill shrugged. "There's not much of a difference between you two as there is between me and Fleur," he pointed out. "We were in the same situation when we met. Hermione is an adult; and far more mature than most of the rest of the girls her age, I'd say. So long as it doesn't bother you or her, why should it bother anyone else? Besides, you're not in the position to worry yet and you might not be for a while, you know."

"I'm getting ahead of myself anyway," Charlie added, frowning. "For all I know, whatever I'm feeling right now might just be a one-off, or she might not want anything to do with me."

"That's true. You've never been a looker," Bill agreed, laughing as he easily ducked Charlie's swinging fist. "We should get back. I've left Fleur with Mum for the better part of the afternoon. One or other of them is probably angry with me by now; and you can continue your knight in shining armour routine if Hermione's had the courage to confront Ron."

Charlie rolled his eyes but held his tongue. He could protest his brother's words but, really, he _did_ want to be there if she needed to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_I'd love some feedback, whether good or bad. Shall I continue? Thanks for reading!_

They had almost made it back to the house when they heard a voice yelling angrily. Exchanging quick looks, they changed course and rounded the corner.

As he took in the scene before them, Bill instinctively grabbed Charlie's arm in warning. Ron had Hermione by the arms and was shaking her.

"How could you do this to me?" he was yelling. "You're sleeping with someone, I just know it! That's why you won't so much as _touch_ me…"

Charlie instinctively went for Ron, but Bill threw him aside, clearly having expected him to do so. They reached the couple together and as Bill pulled Ron away, Charlie caught Hermione. He felt her small hands clutch at his shirt and tightened his hold on her, eyes narrowing as they glared at the youngest of his brothers.

"Inside: now." Bill's words were forced out from between clenched teeth and the angry red faded visibly from Ron's face, leaving him deathly pale.

Charlie was not surprised. He had never seen Bill so angry. His usually good-natured expression had vanished. His blue eyes were icy, his long hair across his face from the brief struggle and the scars on his face standing out white against the red flush of his anger. He felt a sense of grim satisfaction as Ron was dragged away.

A soon as it was quiet, Charlie felt Hermione go limp in his grasp. Worried, he looked down at her and saw with some relief that she was still conscious, but was crying so hard that she couldn't stand.

Giving up on the idea of moving somewhere less open, Charlie tightened his grip on her a little more so he could move the three steps to the twisted oak tree that stood just behind them. He slid down the trunk until he sat on the ground, pulling the girl into his lap before he could stop himself. Fortunately it was dark enough now for them to be all but hidden from prying eyes.

He saw movement in the shadows at the edge of his vision and turned, protectively shielding Hermione as he did so, but it was just the garden gnomes. They too, it seemed, had come to investigate the noise. Alone out of his family, Charlie had made a truce with them years ago. He knew he didn't have anything to fear. They wouldn't sneak around and tie his feet together with lengths of creeper like they had done to Percy not long ago.

He concentrated on the precious bundle in his arms, letting her cry. There was no way the flood of tears could be stopped and he knew she would feel better if she could let everything out. He knew Ron would never have taken the news well, but he had never expected him to behave so badly. That streak of defensiveness ran through all of them, but Ron really had taken it too far. He realised that his grip had tightened and hastily relaxed his hands, not wanting to hurt Hermione. Her tears were slowing and her breath coming a little easier now. Letting go of her with one hand for a moment, he dug a voluminous handkerchief from a pocket and presented it to her.

"Usually I carry these for bandages, so I promise it's clean," he told her solemnly, surprised but pleased to hear a watery chuckle from her.

Hermione dried her eyes, blew her nose and then curled up to his chest with a halting sigh. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Charlie pulled back a little at that to look down at her. "Whatever are you apologising for?" he asked her gently. "How, may I ask, is this your fault? My pig-headed brother behaves in the most disgusting way imaginable and you apologise?" He broke off and surprised himself by pressing a kiss onto the top of her head. "I think you need that massive brain of yours examining." He had no idea how she was going to take that and was relieved that she managed a slight chuckle again.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders as much as she could in her current position. "He always accuses people instead of knowing when he's in the wrong. He accused me of choosing Harry over him when he walked out on us last year."

That set Charlie's mind racing. "When did he walk out on you?" Even Charlie knew some of what they had been through, when the three were on the run together. He hadn't thought it was possible to be more annoyed by his youngest brother, but he found that assumption had been wrong. He felt Hermione stiffen in his arms and wondered if he had been wrong to ask her. But again, it seemed she was blaming herself.

"No-one knows, except Bill and Fleur," she said, after an awkward pause. "We had been going in circles for weeks; not knowing what we were doing. We had no food, barely any sleep, and we were sharing the burden of a Horcrux that altered our minds terribly while we wore it, making us unbearably angry. Ron was wearing it one night when he just snapped. He yelled at Harry and stormed out, demanding that I followed him. I refused to go and he told me that he always knew I'd choose Harry instead of him. He dis-apparated and left us there. We found out later that he had been hiding out at Bill's house because he was too scared to come here and face all of you."

"I can't believe you two forgave him," Charlie said, shaking his head as he tried to make sense of it.

"He came back," Hermione said simply. "We needed him and he came back. We couldn't afford to hold a grudge; too much was at stake. Now, though, is a different story. I can't believe, after all the time we've known each other, that he would think I was capable of cheating on him!"

"I have a strong feeling Bill is making him see sense," Charlie pointed out. "Bill is easy-going until his sense of chivalry is roused. You don't want to be around him then if you're the one in the wrong."

"Seems like it's a bit of a family trait," Hermione said.

Charlie looked down at her and found those big brown eyes staring up at him. Merlin, she was beautiful. The urge to close the distance between them, to kiss those slightly-parted, full lips was almost overwhelming. Charlie blinked, sternly pulling himself together, and managed a grin. "Definitely," he agreed. "But Bill's more disciplined than me. I would cheerfully have knocked him out, you know. Bill definitely knew it. I need to talk to him about how holding someone's wrist in a werewolf-strength death grip is not an act to be repeated."

Hermione gasped and a hand moved to cover the wrist that Charlie held up as he spoke. "Did he hurt you? Charlie, I'm sorry."

Charlie laughed at that. "Stop apologising!" he told her firmly. "It's hardly your fault that he needed to use that level of strength to stop me. I'm a little on the…impulsive side. He's always kept me under control."

"It must be hard to be so far away from him these days," Hermione said, quite unexpectedly.

She was amazing, Charlie decided. She had just had one of the most heart-breaking moments of her life, and she was encouraging him to talk about himself. He had never met anyone like her. "It _was_ hard, especially that last year of School," he said, realising that she was cheering up now they were talking of something else. It was what she needed, just for that moment, in order to compose herself. "Fred and George always told me about the daft things they got up to when they were at school. Well, Bill and I, we were similar. We were never as extreme as the twins, and we never got caught, but we used to get up to all kinds of silly things. I remember the day we charmed the suits of armour to march around behind Professor Snape. Picking on the Slytherins was always a Gryffindor pastime, you know. Snape never caught us, which was lucky considering Bill was Head Boy by then. But then Bill went to Egypt pretty much straight after school and I went to Romania. We're used to it now, but it's always good to see him."

"Charlie?" The voice was unexpected and caused Charlie to loosen his grip on Hermione, letting her make the decision whether or not she wanted to put some distance between them. It made him smile, just a little, when she tightened her arms around him.

"Want her to know where we are?" he whispered.

"I don't mind," Hermione whispered back.

Knowing he couldn't keep her here forever, that he shouldn't, Charlie turned his head in the direction of the house. "Gin, we're over here," he called.

In a moment, she had closed the distance between them and her hand brushed Charlie's shoulder as it sought out Hermione. "Mum was going to come check on you," she said, her distaste clearly apparent in her voice, although it was too dark now to make out her expression. "I thought it would be better if it was me. Apparently Charlie's not enough support for you right now."

Charlie could hear the wicked grin he knew was on her face as she spoke, and hoped that Hermione hadn't done so. Ginny was far too perceptive for her own good at times.

"I'm OK," Hermione managed. "We probably should go in."

The last was spoken to Charlie, who regretfully released his hold on her.

"Ron's up in his room," Ginny added, as she waited for them to stand up. "He won't be around again tonight, you can bet on it. No-one's all that happy with him."

Charlie felt Hermione's hand on his arm tighten as Ginny spoke and covered the hand with his own, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Come on," he said softly. "We'll keep Mum off you and if we go and huddle in the sitting room she'll not have the space to attack you."

"Thanks, but I think I'll go straight upstairs," Hermione managed, her voice sounding a little strained.

"OK. Mum protection will still be needed," Charlie told her, "but don't let anything worry you. Are you ready?" They paused just at the edge of the pool of light the open back door threw onto the patio.

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "I suppose so."

Charlie, forcing himself not to hold her to him as he heard the shakiness in her tone, led the way into the kitchen. He stepped in to the left and as the focus fell on him, he saw Ginny take up the space beside him, allowing Hermione to slip off upstairs. His green eyes flicked up as she reached the half-way point and felt warmth well up inside him as she gave him a smile. It was enough to allow him to face the barrage of questions with a sense of calm.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Thank you for the reviews! _

He didn't see her for the remainder of the evening and in truth had not expected to. As he had gone to bed that night, Ginny had poked her head around his door and told him that Hermione was asleep. She paused on the threshold for a moment, and Charlie to could see the questions burning in her eyes. "What is it, Gin?" he asked, knowing it to be better to confront her at times like this. The last thing he wanted was for her to tease Hermione.

"It's great you were there for Hermione and everything," Ginny said slowly, as if thinking carefully about each word. "I suppose I just don't understand how you came to be in the position I found you in earlier. Don't take this wrong, Char, but you've never struck me as the guy that ends up in the friendly confidante role."

"Honestly, I was just in the right place at the right time," Charlie told her, knowing that Ginny wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. "I felt a bit guilty. She spoke to me about Ron earlier on today. She knew that she wanted to break up with him, but she just needed someone to sound off against until she understood it fully. That person was me, because I happened to walk past at the time when she needed to talk things through. I was in the situation you found me in because Bill and I heard their altercation and Bill reached Ron first. When I pulled her away from him, she just collapsed against me."

"Why not just bring her inside?" Ginny

Charlie looked at her and, when he saw no judgement in her expressive face, had no problem with telling her the truth. "Because she needed me right then. I would have sat there all night if she had needed me to."

There was clear surprise showing in Ginny's eyes, but she didn't speak for a long moment. She gave a slight nod and Charlie felt as if he had passed some kind of test. "She's going to need some taking care of, you know," she said.

Charlie nodded. "I know," he agreed. A scheme came to him then, one that he wondered why he had not thought of before. "I've an idea, Gin," he said, smiling as her eyes suddenly shone. She always enjoyed being part of plans. "If Mum agrees, what would you say to coming to Romania for a few days? I've been meaning to head out, you know. I need to see if they've still got a job for me to go back to and I know you're always up for an adventure. We can get Hermione away from it all, until she's strong enough to face him. What do you say?"

Ginny's freckled face broke into a wide grin. "Oh Charlie, that's perfect!" she exclaimed. "She's only going to do something stupid, like go back to him, if we let her stay here while she's in this state. Could you speak to Bill about it tomorrow? You know Mum will agree if he thinks it's the right thing to do. Let me speak to Harry; see if he'll be OK without me, then we can tell Hermione she's going. If we don't give her a choice, she can't try to back out of it."

At that, Charlie frowned. "Do you think she won't like the idea?"

Ginny shook her head. "It's not that," she said. "She doesn't like being fussed over and will get the idea that we're going out of our way just for her, and that it isn't right. But I can make it so she's accompanying me, and if I stress that it might be educational, we'll snare her. I should get back," she added, the smile fading. "The last thing I want is Ron trying to sneak in to crawl his way out of trouble."

"OK Gin," Charlie said. "See you in the morning."

"Night," Ginny replied, getting up from her seat on the bed and heading to the door. At the last moment, she turned and that wicked grin sprang back into place. "Oh, Charlie?"

"Yeah?" Charlie answered, bracing himself.

"You two would be perfect for each other." She was out of the door before he could fully process what she had just said. He growled in frustration and he could hear her teasing laughter as she fled down the hallway.

The following morning, Charlie was up with the sun. It was a habit he was yet to break from his years on the dragon reserve as he found he enjoyed spending a little time to himself in the morning before the chaos began. But, this morning, he had a reason to be up. He needed to speak to his manager from the reserve and, unusually, the muggle way of doing this was the easiest. They were the only wizards he had met who used telephones. His house did not have one and so he needed to use the public one in the nearest muggle village. It was not a great distance from the house and Charlie decided to walk there, feeling the need to stretch his legs. As great as it was to be home, the combination of too much food and too little exercise could get to him at times. He resolved to organise a quick Quidditch game for later on that day. He'd still not had the chance to compete against Harry, the one who had inherited his Seeker position at Hogwarts', and was keen to see if he was as good as he had been.

Leaving a note for Mrs Weasley, just to be on the safe side, Charlie set out. The morning mist still enveloped the house, the air damp to the touch, and shrouded everything in an air of mystery. The sun was low in the sky and it was still too early for any warmth. To Charlie, it was beautiful. There were never mornings like this in Romania. In the winter it was fiercely cold and icy and in the summer it was warm by sunrise. This was something that he had only ever found at home.

The walk was peaceful and did a great deal to restore Charlie's peace of mind. By the time he had reached the phone and dialled the number to his manager's office, he was able to explain his plan without pause. When he said that, yes, he was hoping he might show Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's friend around, he was amused by the level of excitement on the other end of the line. It seemed that it was not only in England that her name was already being spoken with awe. Charlie wondered what Hermione would say if she knew. In minutes, the plans were made and Charlie was told a port-key would be owled to them ready for their departure the following day. He put the phone down, shaking his head slightly. Hoping that no major fuss was going to be made when they arrived, he headed for home.

The house was still quiet when he ducked in through the kitchen door. Aside from Arthur who was just finishing his breakfast at the kitchen table, and Bill trudging down the stairs yawning, it seemed everyone else was still asleep.

Arthur finished his breakfast in a rush, said a cheerful "Good Morning!" to his two eldest sons, and made his way out of the house to apparate to his office. It seemed that some things never changed.

"Still think you need to be up at the same time as the dragons?" Bill asked as he saw Charlie come in.

"I never needed the beauty sleep you did," Charlie retorted instantly, grinning. It was strange the way he and Bill could regress back to childhood taunts so easily.

Bill snorted. "I know; you gave up on your false hope of good looks years ago." He was too slow to avoid the playful tug Charlie gave his hair, but did not rise to the bait and simply pushed his younger brother away from him, heading for the kettle. "Why are you up so early, anyway?"

"I told you I'm planning to head back to Romania," Charlie said, nodding as Bill held up a tea cup with a questioning look.

"Well, yes," Bill murmured, frowning. "But I had an odd feeling you might stick around a while longer while you were making yourself useful."

"I am making myself useful," Charlie said, smiling as Bill's frown deepened. It was not often that he saw his only older brother confused. After a moment, he relented, filling Bill in on his and Ginny's plan.

Bill took his time to think about Charlie's words; making the tea in silence as he processed them. It wasn't until he handed Charlie a cup that he spoke. "Ron might feel quite hurt, you know."

Charlie bit back the sudden and unexpected wave of anger that flooded through him and managed a shrug. "If I take Ron, he'll feel like he's been rewarded. Then he'll convince himself that what he did was right. I think he's the one who should be at home suffering. Perhaps then he'll realise that he can't behave the way he did yesterday."

There was a smile in Bill's eyes, but Charlie was grateful to see that it didn't reach his lips. There was so much more being read into this conversation than Charlie cared to think about and he did not want to hear exactly what Bill thought of his behaviour. "So, how do we get this organised?" Bill asked.

"I just need to run it past Mum," Charlie said, grimacing. "This is where you come in, if you don't mind. You've always been able to handle her far better than I can. Can you help me to persuade her that it's not a dangerous thing to be doing? Obviously Hermione can choose what she wants to do, but I don't think she'll go on her own and we'll need Mum's permission for Ginny to come with us."

Bill sighed heavily, but he was smiling. "I thought that you'd have learned to manage Mum by now," he said. "Fine, if I must, I will. I just have to ask if you're sure you know what you're doing?"

"I don't, not really," Charlie admitted. "All I know is that I need to do something."

That made Bill pause, and he looked at his brother thoughtfully. "This isn't like you," he said. "Make sure you're watching yourself, Char."

Before Charlie could respond, Bill had poured another cup of tea for Fleur and headed back up the stairs. Frowning, Charlie took a seat at the long kitchen table and propped his elbows on the rough wood, leaning his chin on one scarred hand. Until Bill's leaving remark, Charlie had not really stopped to consider what he might be getting himself into. With all his time on the Dragon Reserve, he had spent a surprisingly small amount of his adult life around women. His protective streak had been roused by Hermione; that much was obvious, but what else? After a moment's fruitless thought, he shook his head in frustration and dragged one scarred hand through his unkempt hair. He had not been lying when he told Hermione that he was impulsive. While he appreciated Bill's point of view, he had never been one to thoroughly plan out every move that he made.

He hadn't heard the house coming to life upstairs, and jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. Turning round, Charlie's eyes met his mother's concerned gaze. "Morning, Mum."

Mrs Weasley seemed to relax at his normal tone and treated him to a smile. "You're up early," she commented moving into the kitchen to begin making breakfast.

"It's a habit" Charlie said, shrugging. "I can't give it up; it was such a nightmare training myself to get up at that time. I'm not doing it all over again." He felt a tug on his heart as his mother's smile faded. He knew that she had never been keen for him to work abroad in the first place. She had been so relieved when he had decided to stay on at home after the war had ended. The idea that he might leave again was one he knew she would not like.

He was saved by the onslaught of what would have been a painful conversation by the twins bursting on the scene. Fred and George, dressed in their hideous magenta robes ready for work, apparated into the middle of the kitchen. Their wide grins in the face of Mrs Weasley's automatic scolding made Charlie chuckle, shaking his head. They would never grow out of it. He found it strangely reassuring, in a world where so much had changed, that Fred and George could remain so wonderfully themselves. They both grabbed muffins from a large plate on the table, kissed their mother's cheeks, and dis-apparated with loud 'crack's.

Charlie took the opportunity to escape upstairs before his mother recovered, catching the smile creeping onto his mother's face as he did so, and shook his head. She would never admit it, but she had always doted on his daft twin brothers. He just had to avoid her now until Bill was there to support him. Bill was the only one who had ever managed to win an argument against their Mother.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

_Disclaimer: Still not mine. Sorry it's taken a few days guys. I will do my best to get chp6 up ASAP. Thank you for reviewing; encouragement to write more makes me happy! _

Charlie made it up to his room and had taken out a book when there was a tap on the door and Ginny appeared, smiling.

"I spoke to Harry," she began, as if a night hadn't passed since they last spoke. "I think he'll be OK for a few days." Crossing the room, she perched on the low windowsill and folded her legs beneath her, screwing up her nose as she added: "I'm not sticking around here with Ron anyway."

Charlie smiled. "Good," he said. "It's all organised in Romania, so we just need to clear it with Mum and then I suppose we ought to ask Hermione if she actually wants to go."

Ginny waved a hand dismissively. "Of course she wants to go," she declared. "Besides, she doesn't have much of a choice. _I_ want to go, and she can't be cruel enough to force me to go alone where anything could happen to me."

Charlie wasn't sure Hermione would be convinced that Ginny needed anyone to look after her; especially if Harry was letting her go. But he held his tongue. He knew that his baby sister could be very persuasive when the mood took her, and Hermione really wouldn't have a say. His plan might actually work out, if only they could persuade his Mother.

A shout of: "Breakfast!" floated up the stairs and Charlie exchanged a glance with his sister. It was time to tell Hermione.

Harry was already at the table when they got downstairs, as were Bill and Fleur. Ginny gave Harry a quick kiss and sat down beside him. Hermione slipped down the stairs and joined the others. Charlie could not help but notice the shadows beneath her eyes and her strained smile. It was clear she had not spent a comfortable night. He poured her a cup of tea and smiled at her as she took the empty chair beside him. He was about to speak, but Ginny beat him to it.

"Hermione, guess what?"

"What?" Hermione asked, frowning.

Ginny's smile was wide and engaging, her eyes bright. "I should let Charlie tell it, really, it's his news, but I can't wait; he's so modest."

It took Charlie a monumental effort not to cast his eyes up to the ceiling. Ginny really was making too much of a big deal out of this. He shot her a quick quelling look which she met with the blandest of smiles.

"His Reserve is looking for people to join them for summer placements, anything from a few days to three months, wasn't it, Charlie?"

Wondering what he had got himself into by letting her in on his idea; Charlie knew he would have to play along now. "That's right," he agreed. "I spoke to them about coming back to work and they asked if I knew anyone who might be interested. Ginny said that you were interested in caring for those without a voice of their own; and wondered if perhaps you might like to go?"

"I want to go," Ginny said quickly. "I've been thinking about training as a healer and I'd love to see what happens out in the field."

At that, Charlie heard his Mother take a deep breath, ready to protest. By the time he looked over at Bill, he saw his brother's chair empty, and the eldest of the Weasley children had taken their Mother by the arm and was speaking to her softly.

"What sort of placements are they offering?"

Hermione's voice had taken on an eager edge that Charlie hadn't heard before. He smothered his smile, knowing he had to congratulate his sister. She had known just what to say.

"There's all sorts of jobs on the reserve," Charlie told her, thinking quickly. "There's people like me, who deal with the dragons when they first arrive. We deal with the most dangerous dragons, those who are injured and afraid. You have to be quick thinking as well as quick on your feet in order to give them the help that they need without being hurt. The healers are separated into different specialities; everything from dealing with births to torn wings and broken bones, or if the dragon has eaten something harmful. There's also researchers; who teach us about the dragons' places of origin and how we can help them. That's just the basics, obviously. After the war, we're in need of good Witches and Wizards. Do you think you might be interested in having a look around?" He watched her carefully as she sat, looking down at the table, her mind obviously racing.

"I haven't finished school," she said, after a moment. "Surely I would need to have good NEWT scores to be able to work there?"

Charlie smiled at that. "You would be welcome to complete your schooling if you wished," he told her. "They know that Ginny has just completed her Sixth Year. But I am fairly certain that they would be only too willing to make an exception, in your case. Do you think you might be interested in something like that?"

"Please say you'll come, Hermione," Ginny pleaded, leaning forward in her chair and taking Hermione's hand. "Don't you think it would be perfect? It'll give us the chance to see some jobs out in the Wizarding world we wouldn't have seen otherwise. You'll know whether or not you need your NEWTs before you commit to going back to Hogwarts."

"You don't need that, I'm sure, Hermione." Mrs Weasley had broken free from Bill and approached the table, a frown marring her kindly face. "I'm sure you want to go back to School."

"Actually," Hermione said, her eyes flicking up to Mrs Weasley before turning to Charlie, "it sounds pretty perfect. I know I should go back to Hogwarts, but I'm not sure I can face it. All those memories…" She trailed off and Charlie saw that her expression had clouded over.

"Well, come to the Reservation for a little while and see what can be offered you," he suggested. "You won't have to decide about School until the end of the summer. They won't turn you away and you know it. We can leave tomorrow if you like?"

Hermione's smile was genuine for a moment, but then it slipped. "Oh," she said. "But what about Ron?"

Again, Ginny beat Charlie to it. "I'm going, and I won't have him with us," she said fiercely. "Besides, when has been interested in learning, especially during the holidays? Hermione," she added, speaking more softly now: "you need this and you know it."

It took a moment, but Hermione gave a slight nod. "I'd love to go," she said. "Could we really set out so soon?"

Charlie smiled. "They're sending me a port-key," he said. "It should be here by tomorrow. Will that be enough time to get everything ready?"

"I hope so," Hermione said, instantly looking worried. "I've just got a few things to organise. Thanks for breakfast, Mrs Weasley." Finishing her tea, she pushed back her chair and with a quick, bright smile at everyone, slipped off up the stairs.

Ginny turned to Charlie and smiled brightly. "Quidditch?"

"Charlie, I think we need to talk." Mrs Weasley stood over them, a dark look on her face.

Charlie sent a beseeching glance at Bill, who simply shrugged and made an apologetic face. Sighing, Charlie got to his feet and followed his mother outside. "Yes, Mum?"

"Oh, Charlie, I wish you'd spoken to me before you made any of these arrangements," Mrs Weasley said.

There had been a time when Charlie had allowed his mother to change his mind, but seven years in Romania had taught him when to stick to the decisions he had made. "Why, Mum? I understand how traumatic this past year has been, but we can't all hide away here forever. I need to go back to work at some point, and I think it will be really helpful for me to have something to focus on when I get there; and to have some family around me. It would be a great experience for Hermione; if only to help her decide what subjects to focus on at school. As for Ginny, well, don't you think it would be good for her to spend a few days away from Harry? I mean, it's amazing how well she is looking after him, but she's a little young to have someone relying on her completely, don't you think? Going away will make sure she has the strength to keep supporting him."

For a moment Mrs Weasley did not speak, but looked carefully at her son. She took him by the hand and looked up at him, a gentle look in her eyes. "You will have to watch them both very carefully," she said. "I don't really want them to go where I can't watch over them; you don't know just how much the poor dears have been through. It's a big responsibility, you know."

"I know, Mum," Charlie replied, smiling slightly. "But I want to do it. I couldn't be here for the family for most of the war; I want to do something now."

"You're such a good boy," Mrs Weasley said, smiling mistily and patting his hand.

Charlie put his arm around her and gave her a slight squeeze. "You taught me well," he told her. "You don't need to worry, Mum. I'm not going to let them near anything that's likely to harm them. Not everyone on the Reserve ends up with burns; it's pretty much just me."

Mrs Weasley could not help but smile at his expression, but still shook her head. "I really hoped you might decide to find a job a little closer to home, dear."

"One day, maybe," Charlie said, knowing it was time to get out of the conversation before it turned on him. "But, right now, I'm going to play some Quidditch." He gave his mother a squeeze and disappeared off into the house before she found her voice again.

Hermione and Fleur both vehemently refused to take part in a game and as Ron was still sulking in his room, four of them met at the Quidditch hoops. Bill shot Charlie a quick look as they fetched four brooms out of the shed. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, grinning. "I mean, you're not getting younger, Char, and you've your reputation to think about."

Charlie took a quick, teasing swipe at Bill's shoulder before leaping out of harm's way and snatching up a quaffle. "_I'm_ not getting any younger?" He laughed, dove onto his broom and shot up onto the pitch. While he waited for the others to sort themselves out; Ginny and Bill were fastening their hair up and Harry had his wand pointed at his glasses, charming them not to fall off; Charlie took to the air. He knew there was a grin stretched across his face and he knew he must look a little odd, but Charlie loved to fly. And here was a chance to fly against someone who would be a challenge. All of his family, apart from Percy, had been good Quidditch players, but only Ginny had shown any aptitude for Seeking. Harry, though, was a natural. This could be fun.

They quickly decided teams; Bill and Charlie versus Ginny and Harry. Taking to the sky, Charlie laughed as Bill threw him a quick, concerned look.

"Don't murder me if we lose, Char!" he called, swooping down to catch the quaffle that Charlie threw at his head.

They loosed the Snitch and then played two-on-two quidditch, with both Charlie and Harry keeping an eye open for that tell-tale flash of gold.

Harry saw it first, but a well-aimed quaffle from Bill distracted him and Charlie sighed in relief; that had been too close. Charlie scored another goal and as he looped down to catch the quaffle again, saw what he had been hoping to find. He launched the quaffle at Bill and then shot towards his prey. Harry had seen it too and they were neck and neck as they flashed past the others, twisting and turning together as they focused on the elusive golden shape. It led them away from the pitch, towards the house. Charlie's vision had narrowed, his heart loud in his ears; he had missed this feeling. He dimly heard his Mother's disapproving scold as they shot over the washing line and around a tree in the back garden. The snitch climbed higher and then they were circling roofs and chimneys. He heard a curse, realised Harry had flown too close to a windowsill and snagged his shirt, slowing him down. Charlie threw himself on, willing the broom to go faster. He knew what he would have to do to catch the snitch first and, before the panic set in, threw himself forward so that his body was free-falling until his knees caught and wrapped around the broom. And then he had it; the tips of his right hand closed around the snitch.

Twisting, he managed to stretch up and pull himself back up into a sitting position, level with one of the windows of the house. Hermione, who must have thrown the window open to watch him and Harry, had both her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. He gave her a wink and a grin before flying down to meet Harry, who shook him warmly by the hand, admiration showing clearly in his eyes.

"I think that's settled our argument," Harry said, chuckling. "You're crazier than I am."

Charlie had to laugh. He clapped Harry on the back and they turned together to share the news with Ginny and Bill who had arrived from the pitch and were awaiting the news eagerly. This was going to be fun.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

_Two chapters in one day; a new record! A little more Charlie/Hermione coming up, and a bit of bad! Ron._

It was late afternoon by the time Charlie allowed himself to visit Hermione. He had needed some time to himself to calm his thoughts and try to think rationally. But he would not let himself pick apart the offer he had made to Hermione. She was upset and needed some time away. He was in a perfect position to offer her that. It was an action he refused to judge himself on, regardless of what Bill had to say on the matter. All attempts at remaining calm were put under serious stress when he found her. She was sat on her bed in Ginny's room, a book forgotten by her side as she gazed out of the window. Her face was pale, her brows drawn tightly over her eyes, and she made no movement to show that she had heard his knock.

"Hermione?" he spoke softly, but Charlie saw her jump and try to pull herself together.

"Hi Charlie, what is it?"

"I just thought I'd see if you needed anything," Charlie said, moving into the room and sitting on Ginny's bed facing her. "You've been up here all day; I suppose I just wanted to make sure you were still planning to come with Ginny and me tomorrow."

"I…I'm not sure," Hermione said, her frown deepening.

Charlie, an unaccountable disappointment flooding through him, made an effort to collect himself. "Why do you say that?" he asked softly.

"Doesn't it feel as if I'm just running away from my problems?" Hermione asked, her dark eyes meeting his solemnly.

"Not necessarily," Charlie replied instantly. She simply maintained their gaze, waiting for him to explain himself, and so he continued. "Spending a few days away can give you time to gather your thoughts and gain the strength to hold to your decision. Sometimes, you need to remove yourself from your known world to find out what there is within you, away from those you rely on."

"Is that your reason for working away from home?"

There it was again; that neat turnabout she managed to create when her personal life was spoken of. Hermione managed it so naturally that Charlie wondered if she realised that she had done it. Perhaps she had never spent time speaking about herself. Having seen how she was with Harry and Ron, Charlie could well believe it. "We aren't talking about me, right now," Charlie said, as gently as he could. "I'm sure you'll have time to ask me that during the next few days, if you do want to come with us?"

"I do, but I've got such an odd feeling about it," Hermione said, her frown deepening again.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked confused.

Hermione shrugged uneasily. "I feel my life will change, and I don't know if that's good or bad. I don't usually listen to silly thoughts or superstitions; and I have no time for prophetic sayings. I don't know what's come over me."

She truly was struggling with the unknown and Charlie remembered that Ron had complained of that in the past; that Hermione couldn't handle not knowing absolutely everything. But Ron had never understood her, that much was obvious. Right now, Hermione was looking for reassurance that she would be doing the right thing. Charlie was happy to give her that.

"Hermione," he said, leaning forward so that he could cover her nervously twisting hands with one of his. "You'll only be gone a few days, if you don't want to stay any longer. Your future will change whether you come to Romania or not. Every action you take will shape your future, to some extent. Just look on this as a holiday; time away from everything; time to think. No-one can blame you for wanting to get your thoughts straight." He saw the expression that crossed her face and paused, puzzled. "What is it?"

Hermione smiled a little and shook her head. "It's just that I'm not used to the fuss being made about me," she admitted. "I feel like you're going out of your way to be nice to me and I'm not quite sure why."

Perhaps that was the discrepancy that she felt; the piece that did not quite fit. Charlie had to force himself not to react; she really was far too clever. "Sometimes things just happen," he said, shrugging. "You're in need of a change of scene for a couple of days and I can provide that, if you want. Do you? It's a yes or no question," he added as he saw her mouth open.

Hermione subsided, thought for a moment and then looked back at him. "Yes," she said.

Charlie wanted to snatch her up into his arms, but settled with giving her a smile. "Good," he said. It was probably time to go, before he ended up saying something that would frighten her off. "Dinner's going to be ready soon; you coming down?"

Hermione nodded, colouring faintly. "I need to pack," she admitted a little shamefacedly. "Thanks for checking up on me."

"You are most welcome," Charlie said, giving her hand a squeeze as he stood up. "See you downstairs." He ducked out of the door and rounded the corner, meeting Ron coming out of his bedroom. Ron met his look with a dark scowl and stormed back into the room again, slamming the door behind him. Wondering why he had provoked that reaction, Charlie shook his head and made his way downstairs to join Bill for a quiet drink before dinner.

It wasn't until Mr Weasley and the twins had returned from work that Hermione crept down the stairs. Charlie noticed her, but chose not to move and watched as she crossed the room to where Harry and Ginny sat. She looked more composed than she had when he had spoken to her earlier and the haunted look seemed to have lifted from her eyes.

"If you keep staring you'll wear her out."

Charlie hadn't even seen the twins approach, but cursed under his breath before he turned to face matching grins. He raised an eyebrow and placed his glass on the table before he spoke. "There may be two of you, but we all know what happens when you get on my bad side," he said lightly, but kept an edge to his voice so they knew that they were treading a thin line.

"Come on, Charlie-bear," George murmured wickedly, keeping his voice low.

"We can keep a secret," Fred added, grinning.

Charlie laid his hands on their shoulders and leaned forward. "There's nothing to tell," he said firmly. "But if I hear you're trying to find things that aren't there, I won't be happy." They could take from that whatever they chose, but Charlie knew them well enough to be sure they wouldn't tease Hermione. He really had to work on keeping himself more firmly in check. If he kept watching her, she would become uncomfortable with him, and he didn't want that.

Ron joined the group only when Harry went up to fetch him and took his place at the table between Mr Weasley and Fleur, where he clearly imagined he would be safest.

Charlie looked Ron over carefully, seeing the tightness of his jaw, coupled with the way he would not look up from his plate. He frowned. Ron had been silenced, but it was clear that he still felt as though he had been wronged. Wondering whether it might be wise to fill the twins in on the details of what had happened between Ron and Hermione, Charlie ate his meal in comparative silence. Eventually, though, he had to concede that Fred and George took after him a little too much; they would be just as angry as he was, but less likely to restrain themselves.

The party was broken up shortly after dinner. Bill and Fleur headed back to their cottage; Bill with a plea to Charlie to keep him informed. He gave his only big brother a brief hug and a wry grin before stepping back so that Bill could help Fleur step into the fireplace.

When Charlie turned back to the room, he saw that Ron had disappeared and Harry, after a brief conversation with Ginny, jogged up the stairs. The twins called him into the sitting room to elaborate on the story Ginny was telling them about Romania and Charlie did as he was told; glad of a safe topic.

Harry re-joined them before long and the rest of the evening passed quickly. Hermione excused herself first and slipped away. Harry and Ginny disappeared shortly after and Charlie saw the twins shoot each other knowing grins. Obviously the couple had wanted a little privacy to say their goodbyes. Charlie couldn't blame them, knowing how difficult it could be to co-exist with such a large family when you wanted some time alone.

Soon Charlie hauled himself out of his chair and headed for the stairs; he had been up far too early to be able to handle a late night as well. At the top of the stairs he paused, his senses tingling. Something felt a little…off. He kept his wand in his pocket, he had always been quicker with his fists anyway, and moved forward on silent feet. What was it that had made him pause? He found out, soon enough. It was Ron's voice, unmistakeably, and it was coming from Ginny's room. The door was ajar and Charlie pushed it open ever so slightly. He could make out the shape of his brother and saw that he held Hermione in his arms. Charlie would have slipped away again, but then he saw that Hermione was struggling and unable to break the Ron's grip. Charlie hesitated still until he heard what Ron was saying:

"I won't let you go, Hermione. You're meant for me and you know it. Let me show you what you do to me…" he trailed off, one hand moving to his belt buckle.

Charlie knew then he had to act. The door slammed against the wall as he strode in. He disposed of Ron simply by grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and throwing him through the open doorway, into the corridor beyond. Twisting, he caught Hermione just before she hit the floor, and sat her on the closest bed before turning back to Ron. His youngest brother had scrambled to his feet and was glowering, his face as red as his hair.

"Don't," Charlie warned, seeing Ron's hands curled into fists.

"What's it got to do with you?" Ron burst out furiously. "Hermione's _my_ girlfriend and what we do is between us."

When Charlie's vision cleared he saw that he was holding Ron off the ground with one hand twisted into his shirt at the front. Hastily, he backed off enough to let Ron drop to the floor. "Listen to me very carefully," Charlie managed, his teeth clenched. "Nothing gives you the right to touch any woman against her will. I don't care what you think may be between you, but Hermione, as a woman, is due respect. Until you learn that, you don't deserve to go anywhere near her or any other woman. Do you understand me?"

Ron readjusted his shirt, glowering at his brother. "When will you learn that this has nothing to do with you?" he spat, turning on his heel to stride away.

Charlie moved to grab him when a small hand closed over his. He turned round to see Hermione's tear-stained face watching him anxiously.

She shook her head slightly. "Don't let him make you angry," she said. "He doesn't understand."

"I can make him understand," Charlie retorted instantly, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself down. "How dare he? Please don't make excuses for him," he added, but more softly. "If he's old enough to think he is worthy of a girlfriend, he's old enough to learn how to behave decently." He let Hermione take his hand and lead him back into Ginny's bedroom, sitting him down where he had been earlier. "Charlie," she said, her voice soft. When he didn't respond, she touched his cheek lightly, the unexpected move making Charlie meet her gaze. "Thank you," she said, smiling slightly. "You rescued me from a horrible situation. Don't be cross with me for stopping you doing something you would only regret tomorrow."

At that, Charlie had to laugh. "Thank you for not letting me provoke the wrath of Mum," he said. "It would have been worth it, though. I'm sorry I can't be more like Bill. I've always tended to solve things in a more…physical way than him."

"You mean you get into fights," Hermione corrected, although she was smiling.

Charlie, happy to see that she was calming down, allowed her to get away with teasing him. He grinned, quite unashamed. "It's why I was never a prefect," he confided easily. "McGonagall let me be Quidditch Captain because there was no-one more suited to it than me, but I would never have been allowed any other responsibility; I was too unpredictable."

"I don't know about that," Hermione murmured, her expression now one Charlie could not decipher. She caught his eyebrow raising but simply shrugged, her smile slipping and fear tightening the corners of her eyes. "Do you think I'll have to speak to him before we go?"

"I don't think he'll try to come near you," Charlie replied immediately, knowing his brother well enough to be fairly sure of his words. "I can stay, though, if you'd like me to."

Hermione shook her head, going a little pink. "It's OK," she told him. "Ginny will be back soon enough anyway. Oh, but Charlie, do you mind if we don't tell anyone about what happened just now? Things will be difficult enough for him without that."

Charlie, wondering how it was possible for her to not be attaching any blame to Ron, knew it would be unwise to disagree with her. "As you wish," he replied, after a moment. "I should go, then, before Ginny comes back and wants to know why I'm here." He grinned as she blushed and, taking advantage of her confusion, leaned down and kissed her on the temple. "Good night."

Ducking out of the door, Charlie decided right then that Hermione's most endearing expression had to be the rarest of all he had seen so far; confusion. Wondering if he would get the chance to see it again, Charlie turned the corner and ran straight into Fred.

"Charlie?" Surprise was evident in Fred's voice. "Didn't you go to bed?"

Charlie decided to bend Hermione's request he keep silent, but only a little. "Could you do something for me?"

Fred's eyes brightened. "Only if it's sneaky and underhand," he replied instantly.

Charlie had to laugh at that. "Could you keep Ron in his room tonight?"

"Charlie-bear, I thought you'd never ask for our help," Fred replied, grinning. "Consider it done."

"Thank you." It would be far easier to sleep if he knew Hermione was safe.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

_Thanks for reading!_

Morning saw an owl appearing at Charlie's window, a package tied to one leg. Rubbing tired eyes, Charlie hauled himself out of bed and crossed the room to let the bird in.

Hopping onto the window sill, the handsome tawny owl allowed Charlie to remove the package and accepted the treat that Charlie dug out for him before turning and taking flight.

Charlie unwound the string and caught the tatty striped tie that tumbled out, before turning his attention to the letter.

"_Dear Charles,_

_I hope this finds you well. Your port-key shall depart at 10:30 sharp and will take you to the Central City office. A car will be waiting to bring you out to the Reserve. Kindly ensure your companions and yourself are not suffering from any illness, as we have new hatchlings who are, as you know, particularly susceptible to disease. Your quarters have been modified to allow for your guests so you may settle in before attending a briefing at 15:00._

_Kind regards_

_Sam Keaton_

_Reserve Manager"_

Charlie smiled, wondering how it was that the letter sounded so formal. Sam Keaton had been his mentor when he had arrived at the Reserve, seven long years previously. They had a close friendship as well as a good working relationship and Charlie could see none of his fun-loving, slightly outrageous boss in the sternly worded letter. Charlie was confident that Sam would be keen to support the plan that they had formulated, but was glad that he would have the opportunity to plead his case before Hermione could be told the work experience story was not true.

Packing his case with a swift wave of his wand, Charlie showered and dressed quickly and headed down the stairs. For the first time in weeks, he was not the first up.

Mrs Weasley turned and gave him a smile as she saw him enter the kitchen. "Morning, dear," she said, giving him a kiss and pushing him towards the table. "I knew you'd be up, so I thought I'd get some breakfast started. I don't want you travelling on an empty stomach."

"Thanks, Mum," Charlie said, accepting the tea she held out to him with a smile.

"Oh, Charlie," Mrs Weasley's face fell and she turned to him anxiously. "You _will_ take care of them, won't you?"

Placing his cup down on the table, Charlie got to his feet, took his Mother by the arms and looked down at her. "Mum," he said, softly. "They'll be fine, I promise. I know I've never been as responsible as Bill, but you can trust me. Now, let me help you with breakfast, before the mob get up."

Breakfast passed without incident and, before Charlie knew it, he was stood in the kitchen waiting for the girls. He had explained the plan to them both and was glad to see no hesitation in Hermione's smile as she nodded her understanding. With only a moment to spare the girls joined him and he held out the threadbare tie. "Ready?" he asked, and then they were off.

It was a long way to port-key and it took Charlie a minute to collect himself, closing his eyes until the nausea died away. The room they had arrived in was empty with only one door leading out and no windows, clearly designed to allow port-keying to happen in private.

Charlie turned to see how the others were and was relieved to see that, although both looked a little green, they seemed to have arrived unscathed. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused as the door opened and a man entered.

"Weasley party?" the man called, his deep voice heavily accented.

Charlie nodded, picking up his bag and leading the others to the door. He didn't recognise the dark-haired man, but the khaki jacket he wore was emblazoned with the reserve's emblem. He followed the man up a narrow flight of stairs into a large underground car park. One of the reserve's 4x4s sat waiting for them and gladly Charlie clambered in, his legs still unsteady from the port-key. There were two rows of seats in the back of the car and Charlie took the back row, letting Ginny and Hermione sit beside the largest windows. He had seen it all before, after all.

As the car pulled out onto the roads, Hermione's gaze was drawn outside and in moments was asking about the buildings they passed and the history behind the monuments. Charlie had expected to become a tour guide and was grateful to see his memory was not letting him down. The city was soon left behind and, before long, roads were too. The reserve was far out in the countryside, away from as many muggles as possible. The mountain range they were protected by soon came into view and Charlie found himself smiling. He was going home.

By the time they finally arrived at the reserve, Charlie was heartily wishing for a seat that didn't jerk around and a nice cool butterbeer. But he knew he wouldn't get to relax. He recognised the look on Ginny's face; she was determined to see as much as she could this afternoon. Finally through the gates, Charlie clambered out, thanked their driver, and then waved the girls over.

"Don't look so disappointed, Gin, did you expect the dragons to fly out to meet you?" Charlie laughed as Ginny scowled at him.

"Of course not," Ginny retorted crossly, picking up her suitcase as she followed him down a vine-shaded path. "I just thought it would look, you know, less like a muggle holiday camp."

It was true, the reserve was less than impressive from the front. It _was_ designed a bit like a holiday centre. There was a car park at the front before a main reception building. Small huts were dotted all over like little holiday chalets, and there was no sign that anything a little…unusual happened there. "You just need to look a bit more closely, then you see that not everything's quite as it seems." He waved his wand over a sign which had read "Doctor." The script twisted and as it stilled the sign now read "Horntail treatment centre."

Charlie's quarters, it turned out, were a chalet right on the edge of the cluster of buildings. Curious to see what had been done to them, he lost no time in going in to explore. Two extra doors had been added, but otherwise the main room looked just as he had left it. There was a small entrance hall, which opened into one large room. A small kitchen was separated from the rest by a breakfast bar and which was followed by a cosy lounge. His bedroom and bathroom were unchanged and so he opened one of the other doors. A small but cozy double room met with his approval, glad to see the style was similar to the rest of the apartment. A door on the right hand side opened up to a small bathroom with a connecting door on the other side to a second double room identical to the first. "These will be your rooms," he said, as Ginny and Hermione followed him in. "It seems they've thought of everything. Why don't you unpack while I go and check in with Sam? I'll take you on a tour of the reserve when I get back."

"Sounds good," Hermione said, clearly as curious as Ginny to find out more.

"I shouldn't be too long," Charlie told them as he went back into the lounge to pull a uniform shirt out of his bag. The khaki shirt was one of his field shirts and it showed by the hasty repairs and worn colour, but it would do. Charlie had been told when he started at the reserve that he would have to present himself in dress uniform before entering the Operations Centre, where all meetings and training sessions were held. It had only taken a few weeks before they had stopped telling him. Charlie had been called out of training so often to help with controlling dangerous dragons only to return with burns which his normal uniform was charmed to prevent that he had been given leave to wear whatever he wanted.

It seemed oddly quiet as he made his way over to the Operations Centre and he wondered how many had taken extended leave over the past few weeks; it was certainly not just him. Exchanging cordial greeting with the receptionist, Charlie was directed straight to his old mentor's office. He knocked and entered, laughing as Sam gave him a hearty handshake and pat on the back.

"Good to see you, Charlie!"

"It's good to see you too, Sir," Charlie replied, studying the man as he spoke. It was clear things were busy; Sam looked like he hadn't been getting too much sleep. Dark rings circled the sharp eyes, but Charlie was glad to see no worry in them or tension in the man's wiry frame. "I take it you've missed me?"

"I've been doing your job since you left so yes, you could say that," Sam replied, but he was smiling. "Now, are you back here for work or for pleasure?" He pushed Charlie towards a chair on one side of his desk, moving round to take his seat opposite him.

"A bit of both, for a little while," Charlie admitted. "Actually, Sam, I have a favour to ask you."

Sam leaned closer, eyes bright. "What are you up to?"

And so Charlie spilled out the plan, leaving nothing out. After all the years they had worked together, he knew that Sam would read things into any gaps in the story and preferred him to have the whole truth. When he finished, he looked up, trying to judge how his words had been received.

Sam's eyes were sparkling. "You do get yourself into some situations, don't you?" he said, grinning. "I think it's a great idea; we could do with some extra hands about the place at the moment. Your sister, from what you've told me, is as daft as you and Miss Granger is, by all accounts, fiercely intelligent. They'll be a breath of fresh air in relation to the job applications we've been getting recently. We'll keep them with our team; that way they'll see the dirty side of this job as well as just getting to play with the hatchlings. I'm spending most of my day out in the field again, so it'll be just like old times."

"That's what I was afraid of," Charlie murmured, rubbing the long burn scar that slashed across his forearm. "I'll get in trouble if I get burned to a crisp."

"We just have to hope your reflexes are as sharp as they were," Sam replied, with a wicked grin. "Now, go and show your new apprentices around before it gets dark. If I don't get chance to see you this evening, meet me at the Short Snout enclosure at dawn."

Charlie nodded and stood, knowing the meeting to be at an end. "See you."

When he reached his quarters he saw that Hermione and Ginny were sat out on the steps, enjoying the afternoon sun as they waited for him. "Ready?" he asked them, not able to withhold his smile as he saw Hermione's face light up. She was looking better already. "The quickest way to get around is by broom," he told them as they moved off. "But that's only really necessary when there's an emergency. It's not the best way to see everything. We'll start at one side and work across, so you get an idea of how everything fits together. There are small enclosures for each type of dragon, and also miles of wild countryside where the dragons are free to roam. There's probably only a few of us who know just how far the boundaries stretch."

It must have taken them two hours to get around the majority of the site. Charlie was pleased to see that Ginny, as well as Hermione, was taking an interest and asking questions about the different dragons, from their habits and diet to the duties that were done to keep them healthy and happy.

"I've kept this bit until last," Charlie told them, pausing at a door to what looked from the outside to be a large barn. "I don't know what's in here either, so let's just go in and see." He pushed open the door and his heart melted. There were ten of them, perfect little Romanian Longhorn hatchlings. He snapped out of his daze when he heard Ginny snickering and rounded on her defensively. "What?" he demanded.

Ginny gave him a hug, still chuckling. "I honestly thought you were going to cry," she said, rolling her eyes. "Look at you, all soppy. Where's the Charlie I know?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't care what you say," he told her, hoping he wasn't blushing as badly as he felt. "Just look at them! They're so beautiful." He happened to catch Hermione's eye as he glanced away from the squawking, clumsy hatchlings, oddly glad to see a gentle smile playing about her lips. He had forgotten, just for a moment, that she was there. Shaking off his sister, Charlie clambered into the pen. "Don't follow me," he warned, not taking his eyes off the inquisitive young creatures. It was a trick he had taken some time to master, but it had been worth it. He had learned all kinds of calls the dragons made, but the small, soothing noises the adult Longhorns could make had been particularly tricky. He knew it had been worth the effort, though, when the hatchlings approached him without a shadow of fear. He laughed as one made a spirited attempt to clamber up him until its claws slipped on the warded shirt fabric and it tumbled back down into the straw that lined the pen. Charlie petted all of them that he could reach before gently disentangling himself, knowing he should leave before his luck ran out, or he had to deal with whoever was assigned to watching them just at the moment. "I'll come see you tomorrow," he promised them, taking one last, longing look back before Ginny pushed him out of the door.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

_Author's note: A short chapter to kick-start my writing again. I hope the tone hasn't changed too much from the time I've spent away from this story. Let me know what you think..._

"Well, what do you think?" Charlie asked, as they made their way wearily back to his quarters. "Do you still want to be out here for a few days?" He aimed the question at both of them, but his traitorous eyes were drawn to Hermione.

She seemed not to notice, but met his questioning gaze with a smile. "I never expected it to be so beautiful," she said. "I had a kind of muggle zoo in mind. You know, one of those old-fashioned ones; all tarmac and bricks with wire pens only just big enough for a dragon to stretch out in. And the dragons themselves…"

"…they're pretty cool," Ginny cut in, grinning. "So when do we get to see the fire-breathing and general mayhem?"

Charlie shrugged. "Probably tomorrow?" He chuckled and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder as she shot him a quick, panicky look. "Don't worry, we leave them alone, they leave us alone. Anyway, Mum would kill me if either of you two got flamed. I'm not going to let you get into a situation you can't handle."

He reached the door first and ducked into the little chalet, confused but pleased to smell something cooking. The oven was on and a note stuck onto the door.

Ginny reached it first and opened the envelope, reading out loud. "Welcome home Charlie. I knew you wouldn't want to cook on your first night so I brought this over. It's ready to eat whenever you're ready for it and there's fresh bread in the larder. Come and visit me soon, love Julie." She glanced up at Charlie, a confused frown marring her brow and anger burning in her eyes. "Who's Julie?"

Struggling not to laugh at the blatant accusation in her tone, Charlie held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture. "She's Sam's wife," he explained. "She doesn't think I can look after myself, so she's always doing stuff like this. She'll probably appear before too long to make sure you aren't being left to starve."

Ginny's look of relief at the explanation was amusing to Charlie until he saw Hermione's frown. Resolving to speak to Ginny about her behaviour in the near future, Charlie pulled his dragonskin boots off and dumped them in the hall. "I'm going to take a shower and then we'll eat, if that's OK?"

When he re-entered the now empty lounge, he was dressed in clothes he would not dare wear in front of his mother. His ripped and faded cargo shorts were frayed at the ends and the once-navy tshirt had shrunk a little too much, but it was his favourite. He padded across the floor on bare feet and took what turned out to be a rich beef stew from the oven. Dropping the bread on the counter, Charlie took out his breadknife and cut several thick slices.

The smell had drawn first Ginny and then Hermione out of their rooms. They each took a plateful of stew from Charlie and, at his suggestion, the three curled up onto the old sofas in the sitting room to eat.

"What would you like to do tomorrow?" Charlie asked as he tried the stew. It really was good.

Ginny shrugged. "What are the options?" she asked. "I'm quite happy just to shadow you, see what it is you've actually been doing since forever."

"You're welcome to follow me; I'm not sure what my assignment is yet. Or there's the healing pens, or the research lab. That's where new cures are created for illnesses, that kind of thing…"

"How about we spend some time with you tomorrow and then go from there?" Hermione suggested matter-of-factly. "Will we be expected to take notes or anything?"

Always the scholar, Charlie mused. "If you like," he said. "We work more on aptitude than anything else. You won't be asked to sit an exam at this stage, but Sam always likes to see people taking an interest. We've got a library of sorts, but most of us have built our own textbooks through notes and journals. You're welcome to look through anything I've got out here, and the library's never locked." He smiled as her eyes lit up, unable to help himself. "I have to warn you, though, to read someone else's work before you start on mine."

"Don't tell me you've written a book?" Ginny's voice was laced with surprised disbelief and Charlie shot her a quick, amused look.

"Does that bother you?"

"Why have you never said anything?" Ginny demanded instantly.

Charlie shrugged, a little surprised that she seemed so affected by it. "It's never really come up in conversation," he said, chuckling as Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You're infuriating," Ginny grumbled.

"Don't tell me you would have wanted to read it," Charlie replied, but without any malice. He knew that of all his family, Ginny had always been the most supportive of him and his chosen career. "It's not anything special out here, though. I'm not the only one on the reserve to publish something, you know."

"What made you decide where to specialise?" Hermione asked, before Ginny could form another retort.

That caught Charlie off-guard and he had to think for a moment before he could answer. "It chose me, to some extent," he told her. "I had been learning to imitate some of the dragons, more to see if I could use the skill to pull off a prank, if I'm totally honest. But then I found out that the dragons themselves would respond to it. Some of them are brought to us cruelly injured and terrified. Sometimes the only way we can get close to them is by lashing them to the ground so that they are unable to move. But I found that if I could soothe them in their own tongue, then they tended to become less aggressive with me. Obviously it doesn't always work," he added, gesturing at one heavily scarred arm with a slight grin, "but quite often it does. I'm the only one on the reserve at the moment who can imitate the dragons successfully enough for them to respond to me; it became obvious that I would have to spend the greater part of my time where I do."

"Your colleagues must be jealous," Ginny remarked, frowning.

Charlie chuckled at that, shaking his head wryly. "They think I'm crazy," he admitted. "I can't really blame them for that; _I_ think I'm crazy when I'm facing down a Horntail on my own with no more than a broom and a wand." Glancing up from his bowl, he saw Hermione shiver at his words and frowned at her questioningly for a moment before he realised what it was that he had said. "You're thinking of Harry?" But it wasn't really a question. "That's why I'm called crazy; I do that every day."

Even Ginny had paled at that, and he regretted his words, but then Hermione spoke.

"You're not crazy, Charlie." Her words were slow and softly-spoken, almost as if she was puzzling through what he had said out loud. "You do it because someone has to, because you want to help the dragon. It might mean you have no sense of self-preservation, but you're not mad."

He had to smile; of course Hermione would be the one person who fully understood. But then she would know; she had told him herself that she had spent the whole of the Horcrux hunt thinking she would die. And yet she stayed with Harry, even though Ron gave her the opportunity to leave. After everything she had been through, she didn't consider herself to be brave; she just couldn't understand that she could have done anything else. Yes, she understood. "I'll let you make that decision again tomorrow, after you've seen me work. I won't blame you if you change your mind."

It wasn't long after they ate that Ginny, who had been yawning throughout the evening, announced that she was going to bed. "If you're making me get up before dawn, tell me there's coffee here?" she asked, as she got to her feet.

Charlie chuckled, nodding. "I promise." He rose too, collecting the mugs and plates they had used for dinner and dumping them in the sink. He turned back in time to catch Ginny as she launched herself at him for a cuddle and laughed, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. "Night, Gin. Sweet dreams." As Ginny disappeared into her room, Charlie turned back to see that Hermione had crossed over to the bookcase and had knelt down beside it. He crossed the room softly, smiling as she turned at the sound of his footsteps and blushed.

"I was looking for some bedtime reading," she said. "I have to admit that the only time I've researched dragons was for Harry in Fourth Year."

"I promise I won't hold it against you," Charlie replied, pretending to study the collection of books, but rather wrestling inwardly, wondering if he dare do what he was thinking. His mind recalled the conversation he had had with Bill, that day on the Quidditch field. Bill had suggested he let Hermione get to know him. There was a way he could do that, but it was a gamble; he would be laying himself open to her completely and he didn't yet know whether he wanted to do so. Was what he felt for her fleeting? His sense of chivalry had been roused, but was it more than that? Still, he reasoned, this was a way he could bring about a closeness between them possibly without her even realising it. His mind made up, although he was sure he might well come to regret it, Charlie withdrew a battered volume from the case, and one other. The second he handed to her immediately, saying: "We're starting with these dragons tomorrow. This book is purely factual; but it should serve well as background knowledge. This, on the other hand, is a first-person, entirely biased account of adjusting to a life amongst dragons. Any opinion expressed within will likely not help you in an examination, but it might help to see what it is like living in this way. Let me know what you think. Goodnight, Hermione." Giving her a slight smile, Charlie rose and left her there, holding his diary, and wondering if he was crazy after all.


End file.
